Cheerful orange pumpkins, icons of the fall holiday season, can be found across Washington in October. The world of pumpkins expands far beyond the classic orange gourd, and modern cultivars include many elegant and extreme varieties.
Local growers in Clark County grow many types of pumpkins. Each growing season they battle pests and diseases to bring pumpkins to local fall-loving homes. The perfect fall pumpkin requires an immense amount of work, as shared by Bi-Zi Farms and Silver Star Farms.
Pumpkins, a type of gourd, are indigenous to North America and have been cultivated since 7,500 BCE, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA says pumpkins can be split into two categories: pie type and decorative type. Pie types are sweeter and smaller, often used for culinary purposes. Decorative types are larger and used for outdoor decoration or carving.
Between these two categories over 100 types of pumpkin exist, according to Pumpkin Patches and More. With numerous varieties, finding the “perfect” pumpkin can be difficult, with options such as the Long Island Cheese and Blue Jarrahdale.
At Bi-Zi Farms, a family farm located in Vancouver, shoppers can browse over 20 varieties of pumpkin this fall. This year, many of their pumpkins are supplied by Silver Star Farms in Brush Prairie.
Joe Zimmerman, son of Bi-Zi owner Bill Zimmerman, said the perfect pumpkin varies from person to person. They sell many types of pumpkins that can appeal to customers for numerous reasons, both decorative and culinary.
“It’s not about popularity because it’s a smorgasbord,” Joe Zimmerman said. “As farmers, I see all of them as having quality, but it’s up to the individual.”
While some shoppers are looking for decorations, others are looking for a tasty treat. All pumpkins are edible, Zimmerman said. However, some taste better than others. A pie pumpkin, cultivated for taste, will be better for baked goods than a decorative pumpkin.
Linda Cotton of Silver Star Farms, who has contracted to provide Bi-Zi Farms with pumpkins, said this year has been particularly bountiful. Silver Star Farms has an abundance of a variety of pumpkins. They had little issue with disease due to the dry summer, she said.
“It has been a good growing season for pumpkins,” Cotton said.
At Bi-Zi Farms, pumpkins are planted by percentage, rather than patches of identical types. They pour a measured amount of different pumpkin seeds into the planting machine, allowing the seeds to mix and sow varieties at random, creating colorful and varied patches of pumpkins.
The number of pumpkins produced by each plant varies. Most carving pumpkin plants produce two to six gourds each, Zimmerman said.
Beyond the classic orange, many other types of pumpkin are popular. Zimmerman noted that the white Baby Boo, bumpy Warty Goblin and vibrant Cinderella pumpkins are favorites among customers.
Growing pumpkins is a challenging endeavor in Washington. Along with weeding, fertilizing, pest management and irrigation, the plants require preventative care to avoid crop-destroying diseases. Due to Washington’s wet weather, fungi like Fusarium rot, downy mildew and powdery mildew can flourish among the crops.
“We deal with a lot of issues with mold and rot,” Zimmerman said.
Fusarium rot is a fungus that grows on pumpkins before and after harvest. According to the American Phytopathological Society, Fusarium rot creates deep lesions on pumpkins, which ruin the fruit. Post-harvest lesions are more common and have either a dried and pitted appearance or are covered in white mycelium.
Downy mildew, a fungus, grows on the foliage of pumpkin plants. The mildew reduces the plant’s photosynthesis, resulting in stunted growth and poor yields, according to the American Phytopathological Society. The disease kills plant leaves, increasing the risk of burned fruit due to sun overexposure.
Powdery mildew grows in white patches along pumpkin plant foliage, flowers and stems. This fungus can cause the plant to weaken and lose its leaves, resulting in poor yield and burned fruit. This disease can also cause fruits to ripen too quickly, or not at all, according to the American Phytopathological Society.
According to the American Phytopathological Society, farmers can use multiple methods to avoid these fungal diseases. Increasing airflow around the plants, decreasing moisture and applying fungicides are all effective methods of protecting pumpkin crops and ensuring a bountiful and healthy harvest.
Excluding the fungal issues, Zimmerman said that growing a pumpkin is pretty much like any other plant.
Despite the challenge of growing pumpkins, Zimmerman believes that offering pumpkins is a rewarding and community-building endeavor. Supporting local agriculture supports the community, he said. Additionally, Zimmerman noted that local pumpkins are better for the environment due to the shorter supply chain.
When children and parents visit the seasonal pumpkin patch, staff at Bi-Zi Farms and others like it get to establish a personal connection and teach them agriculture. For some, picking a pumpkin from a vine at the pumpkin patch may be the closest they have gotten to gardening.
“When people come to the patch, I want them to pick it from the field,” Zimmerman said. “It’s a personal experience.”
